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Mobile Wedding DJ's are usually the people who release tables to go through the buffet line at wedding receptions. Years ago I discovered that a great way to make this task more enjoyable for me was to perform close-up magic as I released those tables. What's funny is that a lot of my clients now request this as part of the reason they hire me. This table magic thing is a great way to give the bride and groom something different and it always breaks the ice for a lot of people during the dinners. In addition it's just one more reason for the guests to remember how much fun they had at the reception. Ultimately (as any magician would tell you) I do this because I LOVE to watch the reactions people have to magic. That look of astonishment on a guests face is priceless for me. I guess I'm greedy in that way.

In lieu of the traditional multi-layered wedding cake more and more couples are looking at an exciting alternative. On back-to-back receptions that I DJed in November the traditional wedding cake was replaced with colorful assortments of cupcakes. Its a nice change of pace and offers variety to the guests. I have not investigated the cost so I don't know if it's cheaper, the same or more expensive than regular wedding cake. The nice thing is that the trend doesn't have to take away any business from wedding cake makers because cupcakes is more than likely already part of their business.

Thursday, November 11, 2010
, Posted by Bandstand Music Inc at 2:06 PM

I just love getting feedback from the Bandstand Music customers. To think that someone took the time to hand write a note and send it to us means so much not just to me as an owner but to the employee that it is written about as well.

My challenge to everyone out there who reads this blog post is to take the time to drop a note to any business when the service goes above and beyond. You will feel great giving that sincere appreciation and for the businesses it is a great reminder of how important our customers are. Not only that… we can also use your comments to inspire new clients who may be on the fence about whether or not to use our services.

So for all of those that have taken the time to write I thank you a millions times over. To see some of the nice things people have written you can visit the Bandstand Music Facebook fan page at:

Wednesday, November 10, 2010
, Posted by Bandstand Music Inc at 12:10 PM

I want to thank Mrs. Luke's third grade class for their thoughtful thank you card. I was the entertainment for their Halloween party and i've got to tell you that it was a blast. I love getting these kind of notes of appreciation. It's always a challenge to entertain kids. The key is to keep them engaged at all times and the best way to do that is to keep things moving fast and somewhat furious.

I love wedding toasts. Whether given by the best man, maid of honor, parents or whoever the toasts are always fun to listen to. You can always tell when someone has put a lot of time and prep into their toast and you can also tell when they are very off the cuff and impromtu. Either way toasts come in all varieties. As a Wedding DJ in Omaha, Nebraska I get Best Men all the time who will ask me what they should say right before they make their toast. My advice is to come up with a brief and tasteful story you can tell that gives an example of your bond. Then just speak from the heart and always compliment the Bride.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010
, Posted by Bandstand Music Inc at 11:23 AM

Attention Omaha Friends: Can you name this venue?

For time saving and convenience many Brides and Grooms will choose to have their Wedding Ceremony at the same venue the reception will be taking place. This can be a very practical idea and many venues can accommodate brides and grooms who want to use their venues as their ceremony sites as well. This is a photo of one of those venues. This is the backroom of the venue that can easily be made into a ceremony site. It is separate from the main room and this venue also has and outdoor deck for ceremonies as well.

Last Friday was the big grand opening meeting for the new HyVee store in Council Bluffs. The store officially opens to the public this week and let me tell you that the store is beautiful. Bandstand Music ran the sound for the folks that spoke at the meeting including the CEO. HyVee has been great to Bandstand Music and I just wanted to thank them for their support. Good luck to all of those in the new store. HyVee is a great company to work for and I'm sure everyone is going to be tremendously successful.

Last Fridays wedding reception that I DJed in Omaha was a blast. Instead of me playing typical background music they had a jazz trio for 2 hours during cocktails and dinner. From "fly me to the moon" to "cheek to cheek" they covered all the classics and were a pleasure to listen to. They are known as the Kevin Pike Trio. If you are looking to add a nice touch to your next event I couldn't recommend these guys enough. You can contact Kevin at:

Did you know that a Mobile Wedding DJ's worst nightmare is an empty dance floor. Honestly... as a DJ, I can't think of anything worse when the dancing at a wedding begins. Recently on my Facebook page I asked my Facebook friends what song they would play to get a wedding reception dance kicked off. The responses were all over the map. For years I struggled with this. The bottom line is that if you want people to start dancing right away don't play a fast song. You've got to get em' out there with something easy and slow. I always dedicate the first dance song of the night to the bride and groom and all the couples who have come to celebrate their special day. For years I've been doing this and it never fails to fill the dance floor. This picture is from the reception I DJed tonight and it was the first song of the evening. The song I always play is "Can't help falling in love" by Elvis. What's great about this photo is that you can see the bride and groom right in the center. They will always remember that their reception started with a full dance floor. Awesome!

I remember the first wedding reception I djed back in 1987. I was working for another company at the time and I remember proudly hanging my disco ball before the gig while at the same time grinning about how cheesy the disco ball effect was. Well twenty three years later I (along with thousands of other DJ's) still proudly hang my disco ball for every gig. This is a photo from the wedding a DJed last night. I've got a full dance floor and I'm pretty sure the reason for that is because of my shiny disco ball. I still get a kick out of how fascinated the kids are with the disco ball. It's not uncommon to see a young child just standing there staring at it.

Interesting fact: In 1991 I was driving in my truck on interstate 80 coming back from a gig at Iowa Western. After hitting a bump I looked in my rear view mirror just in time to see my disco ball go flying out of the back of my truck and proceed to follow me down the interstate. Shards of glass were flying everywhere and the disco ball eventually rolled into the ditch. I never slowed down but did say a quick prayer for my disco ball. It is probably still laying in that ditch. If you find it you can keep it. It's somewhere over by Mall of the Bluffs.

One of the things I love about DJing wedding receptions at the Millard Plaza Ballroom is that everything has its place. In other words the layout of the room works great for wedding receptions. Here is a photo I took last Saturday night at the Millard Plaza Ballroom of the cake. I love how the cake is set up under the canopy with lights surrounding it. The set up just makes the whole cake cutting experience come alive. A big "well done" goes to Dee over at the Millard Plaza Ballroom.

Thursday, September 23, 2010
, Posted by Bandstand Music Inc at 10:22 AM

Hey... last Friday we had our photo booth out at the Quality Living Inc. event at the Quest Center. I was an evening at the fair and I have to give Quality Living Inc a ton of props for putting on a very fun, interactive, and classy event. I also want to thank my two lovely assistance from Quality Living Inc. Gail and Michelle for helping me with the photo booth.

I have been lucky enough to have been a participant in the Wedding industry since 1988. During that time I have had the good fortune to work with some fantastic people who also provide wedding services. From photographers to florists it seems I have worked with everyone. One of the elements to a successful reception is for all the vendors to work together and help each other out when needed... we are simply talking about professional courtesy. We owe this to the bride and groom because after all we are all there because of them.

Every once in a while, though rare, I do run into other wedding vendors that do not see things in this way. And in an environment in which we are all referring each other those particular vendors are doing themselves and their clients a disservice. At a recent reception I was told by the reception venue that I would have to pay $20.00 for a table to set up my equipment on. This has never happened in my 22 years of being a DJ and quite honestly I thought the venue was kidding. All I had on me was $11.00 cash. I was told that if I couldn't pay right there and then that they would have to charge the Bride and Groom. I was not going to let this happen so my only alternative was to set up on the floor. Although it was awkward and looked weird the reception went great.

I am by no means blogging this to complain and that is why I will not post the name of the venue. This is simply an opportunity to remind wedding vendors of the importance of working together. After all, it's all about providing our Brides and Grooms with a wonderful day and if we can help each other do this we will all succeed.

P.S. If you know the name of this venue please do not post it as this is not the point of this blog post.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010
, Posted by Bandstand Music Inc at 3:06 PM

Bandstand Music DJ Jared Kuller took this photo of the grooms cake during the wedding reception he was the DJ for. Very creative. There is always a story or a meaning behind creative grooms cakes and I'm dying to know what this one is. Did the bride and groom meet on facebook? The world may never know!

Thursday, September 16, 2010
, Posted by Bandstand Music Inc at 11:28 AM

I really loved last Fridays reception that I DJed. The Bride and Groom (Anthony & Monica) provided bottles of wine for the guests to take with them. I've seen a lot of guest gifts and souvenirs over the years and I've got to tell you the bottles of wine are definitely in the top 3 coolest.

Monday, September 13, 2010
, Posted by Bandstand Music Inc at 10:29 AM

Had a blast Friday night at the reception I DJed. Got to work for a great bride and groom (Anthony & Monica) and I also got to work with one of my longtime photographer friends Doug Gunder. Before the reception started I went out front and snapped this photo of the entrance. Can you name the venue?

Last Sundays reception had a lot of different twists throughout the night. It was a riot. The Best Man presented a very creative toast by sitting up on the stage with his guitar and singing a song for the bride and groom. Much like the groom cakes I've been showing in my blog the toasts are becoming more and more creative.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010
, Posted by Bandstand Music Inc at 11:08 AM

As you've seen in this blog over the last year I am on this Grooms Cake kick. One of the first things I do after setting up to DJ a reception is go over to the cake table to check out the cakes. This grooms cake is fairly simple but it definitely doesn't leave any doubt at to what the grooms favorite drink is. Dr. Pepper Grooms Cake

I've never been a big soda pop fan so if I had to choose a drink as a grooms cake it would have to look like a glass of iced tea. What you your grooms cake drink be?

The bride and groom I DJed for on Sunday requested that I bring the "bubble machine". I took this photo from the stage and the dance floor was packed. I love to be the DJ for receptions when people dance all night and this was one of those parties. Congratulations to Ben and Kim and thanks for letting me be a part of a great night.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010
, Posted by Bandstand Music Inc at 12:14 PM

In this unique twist on a grooms cake one of DJ's Jared took this photo at one of his receptions. It looks like the links are made of black frosting... any way I thought the picture was unique and worth sharing.

Last Saturday one of my favorite guys in the world got married. Danny (the groom) has been my son's baseball coach for the last 5 years. He has done so much and given everything he has to my son and the rest of the team. As a result our team the Millard Knights has been one of the most successful little league teams in Nebraska. The reception was held at the DC Centre and it absolutely rocked. I DJed the first couple of hours and then turned it over to one of my assistants so that I could join in with my friends. Hillary (the bride) was stunning and I can't thank her enough for all the time she has given up with Danny for the sake of the team. Love you guys!

Bandstand Music DJ Zack Sutton got to rock it out last weekend on top of a bus. I'm still not sure how he got all his stuff up there because I keep forgetting to ask him. This is the advantage to mobile DJ setups... Hence the word mobile DJ. Just tell us where you want us, we will set up and then make the party happen.

This Saturday I took a step out of my DJ shoes and was a proud photo booth attendant for one of the Bandstand Music photo booth rentals. It all took place at the lovely Regency Lodge Hotel in Omaha. One of the Bandstand Music DJ's Jared Kuller was the DJ for the reception in the main ballroom. I was in the next room over where the bar, cake, and photo booth were located. What a fun night it was!!! Congratulations to the the bride and groom Marisa and Sam.

Hey, it is pretty hard to narrow down which of your 18 besties can be your bridesmaids. Why not just go with all of them? Unless of course there’s a symbolic reason she went with 18. According to Wikipedia, the number 18 can represent:

- The number of chapters into which James Joyce’s epic novel Ulysses is divided

- Russ Wheeler’s car number in the film ‘Days Of Thunder’

- In Chinese folklore, the Shaolin temple had a group of 18 bronze Monks.

Last year in this blog back on June 30th 2009 I posted a photo of a groomsman who entertained everyone with his spot on vocals. At last Fridays reception the same guy was there again. Only this time he wasn't a groomsman but rather he was a guest. Without missing a beat he took over again at the end of the night. He's a one man party and the people eat him up. I love this guy.

One of these photos was from last years reception and the other was from last Friday night.

I love it when a bride has the option to really let the bouquet fly. Here's a reception I DJed at the beautiful Renaissance Mansion in downtown Omaha. The bride (Junith) was able to throw her bouquet from the outdoor balcony. Without the limitation of a ceiling Junith really let the bouquet fly. It's kind of hard to see but you can see the bouquet about 10 feet above the bride. It's that little white spec to the upper right of the window.

Just DJed another wedding reception Friday night in downtown Omaha. This is actually a place that my company DJs at a lot. Fits up to about 100 guests and there are three floors available for the events. Most weddings will utilize all three floors for guests seating. The main floor is where you'll find the bar, buffet, and cake. The lower level is where the DJ sets up.Can you name the venue?

I will admit that this weeks edition of name that venue is pretty challenging. The was from a wedding reception that I DJed last Saturday. It is one of those locations that I've been to a million times and I always seem to have great gigs there. The room was divided in half. One half was set up for the wedding ceremony and the other half was set up for the reception.

A few years ago someone in the wedding biz told me that the video slide shows shown at wedding would run its course within a year. Well here we are five years later and they are still as popular as ever. This is a picture from the wedding I djed last Saturday. FYI - To have the most impact with your slide show follow these 3 pieces of advice:

1) Always test it with the projector in advance to ensure everything works.2) Mix in some fun music with the slide show (it makes it more fun to watch)3) Keep it to under 12 minutes in length. Any long and people start losing interest.

As an Omaha Nebraska wedding DJ I see all kinds of cool centerpieces at the receptions. For years I have seen centerpieces similar to this one. I will admit that they are very eye catching. My question... How is it that these top heavy centerpieces never fall over. You'd think that will all the commotion that can happen once the party at the reception starts that these things would start toppling over but they never do. Amazing!

Just DJed Saturday night here in Omaha and had a blast. Towards the beginning of the evening I snapped this photo of the dance floor. Can you name the Venue? Hint: There is a beautiful outdoor area included in the rental. This weeks winner will receive a set of used pipe cleaners. Good luck!

Last Saturday I had the honor of being the DJ for both and outdoor wedding ceremony and the indoor reception in Omaha Nebraska. After the bride and groom were pronounced husband and wife the bride (Paula) wanted me to play "Forever" by Chris Brown. I thought it was a cool idea for an exit song and I was shocked when it turned into an all out dance. The bride and groom and their wedding party danced up and down the isle for the entire song. It was a riot! Congrats Paula and Rich.

Last Saturday I DJed a fun reception in Kansas City. I really liked the facility and the staff was awesome. I love it when wedding vendors work together and everything comes together. The facility was beautifully decorated and was absolutely the perfect setting for a wedding reception. Props to the bride and groom and the Emiline Ballroom.

Nothing like a family brewed beverage to toast the Bride and Groom. This was a photo from my gig last Saturday. Everyone was treated to the family brewed "Polish Pop". As a DJ I love watching family traditions. This was a really fun night and I just want to wish my Bride and Groom Maxine and Jeff a wonderful life together.

How fun would it be to decorate cakes. With all the cake posts that I make here in my blog i've never commented on the actual process of doing the decorating. Some of the cakes I see are just fantastic and I can't imagine the time that went into them. My good friend from Omaha Pastry is Dorothy Thompson. She does some incredible stuff. Here's a grooms cake in the shape of a record player. I'm sure some of the younger guests at the reception had no idea what they were looking at.

Here's a cool Vikings grooms cake. Football grooms cakes seem to be very popular and I keep waiting for my team to show up on one of these cakes. Dallas Cowboy Grooms where are you? I am still waiting for a Cowboys grooms cake. One of these days I guess.

Something you never see anymore is the Stroll. The Stroll was a popular line dance in the 1950's and has faded a bit through the years. Every now and again my dance crowd will ask for it. For some of the younger folks they may not know what to do right away but they catch on quickly and will usually ask me to play it again. So the guys line up on one side and the girls on the other. They face each other and the man an woman on the end of the line meet in the middle and stroll down the isle. It's always a blast!

During last Saturday's event we jumped into the photo booth with the Bride and her friend for this photo. We actually set 2 records this weekend with the photo booth rental. The first was the record for the most amount of people in the booth at one time. We had 13 adults cram in for the record.The second record was for the amount of photos taken. Average number of photo strips is about 125 per event. At this event we hit 190. Wow!

About Bandstand Music
Headquartered in Omaha Bandstand Music Mobile DJ Service covers all of Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa. We have offices in both Omaha and Lincoln and cover all surrounding areas including Fremont, Columbus, Beatrice, Council Bluffs, Glenwood, and Missouri Valley, just to name a few. We have been providing Omaha, Lincoln and Council Bluffs DJ's for over ten years. Call (402) 393-5414 to set up an appointment with your Bandstand Music DJ today. Contact us for more information now!

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